


Eight Letters, Three Words, One Meaning

by CharmHazel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Established Relationship, F/M, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Post-Hogwarts, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25356556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharmHazel/pseuds/CharmHazel
Summary: How hard can it be to put together the eight letters to say the three words to convey the one meaning he needs her to know? *Written for the 'I Love You' Challenge on SIYE*
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley
Kudos: 26





	Eight Letters, Three Words, One Meaning

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by three lines of lyrics from the song "Eight Letters" by my all-time favourite band, Take That

Eight letters.

That was all they were. Eight simple letters. Mixed up, they would mean absolutely nothing. Arranged properly and they spoke of something so incredibly powerful. 

Harry had scribbled down those eight letters so many times, in so many ways, over the previous twelve months. It seemed easier to write them out, in whatever combination, than to form them into intelligible words that could be easily spoken if he chose to. Yet, his Gryffindor courage seemed to be failing him.

He could understand lacking the courage to form the letters into words when he had first started dating Ginny in his sixth year. The relationship was essentially the first one he’d ever had. He had been on cloud nine, but deep down, he had been absolutely petrified of screwing up the best thing that had ever happened to him. The idea of saying something, using those eight letters, and her rejecting him was not an option.

So, the letters had just stayed letters on the pages he had scribbled them on, scattered about so no one would see the deeper meaning they had the potential to hold. It had allowed him to ignore what those eight letters truly were if arranged correctly and not admit to something before he was personally ready to do so.

Three words.

Suddenly, they were all he could think about. He couldn’t push the words back into letters; therefore, he could no longer ignore them. He was careful never to write them down for fear of those words being found by his best friends or a Death Eater who would happily take the chance to use the words against him. No, instead, those three words were constantly there in his mind, ready to remind him what he had never had the courage to say before he went on the run to find the Horcruxes.

Yet, it had also left him thinking how much of an impact those three words would have on his life when he finally did say them. If he ever had the chance to say them, because life beyond the end of the war was not guaranteed for him. That thought would then lead to him thinking about the lack of those three words in his life before Ginny had become the centre of his world.

He tried to ignore them. He distracted himself as best as he could, focusing on the Horcruxes, the Hallows and the impact this journey was having on himself and his best friends. However, when he was surrounded by the quiet with nothing else to do, the words would seep back to front of his mind, screaming at him how he should have said those three words before he had left. 

One meaning.

He had honestly thought that he understood how powerful the meaning was of those three words. He didn’t remember anyone ever saying them to him, nor saying them himself. He learnt to understand the meaning through actions rather than words. His mum and dad had given their lives because of that one meaning to the point that it had created a powerful protection that had caused the Killing Curse to rebound and reduce Voldemort to a Wraith for over ten years.

It wasn’t until he was stood in front of Voldemort, in the middle of a clearing in the Forbidden Forest, defenceless and waiting to sacrifice his own life, that the meaning of those three words slammed into him with an incredible force. Voldemort would never do what he was willing to do because he didn’t understand the meaning of those three words. It was, in Voldemort’s twisted thinking, something weak.

Yet, standing there, he knew it wasn’t because he knew would be willing to sacrifice himself a thousand times if it meant Ginny was safe and was given the chance to live the life she deserved. So, it was no surprise to him that it was her he pictured as the green jet of light raced towards him, because she was the reason behind the meaning of those three words. If only he’d had the courage to tell her before all of this had happened.

Eight letters. Three words. One meaning. 

He was not going to waste a second longer in telling her. He didn’t care that people were clamouring for his attention. He didn’t care that they considered him the Saviour of the wizarding world. His victory over Voldemort would mean nothing if he didn’t say what he should have told her last year before they were separated with no way to communicate safely.

Harry lifted his Holly and Phoenix Feather wand into the air and wordlessly cast a charm that created a loud boom throughout the Great Hall. The noise, which he had managed to tune out while lost in his thoughts, finally ceased.

“Right now,” he said loudly and with more confidence than he actually felt, “I do not care to talk to any of you. I don’t want to grant you an interview or reveal what has happened this past year. All I want to do is talk to the one person I have been desperate to speak to from the moment I walked back into the Great Hall.”

No one spoke as the crowd around him moved back so he had space to move. Many of those who had surrounded him were unaware of whom he wanted to speak to, but those who knew of his relationship   
with a certain redhead turned their heads in the direction of where she was currently stood.

“Ginny?” he said as he carefully approached, uncertain how she would react. He knew it was a possibility, given the famous Weasley temper, that she might lash out at him for trying to keep her safe or for pretending to be dead. Yet, he knew he needed to try as he didn’t think he could wait any longer to put together those eight letters into intelligible words.

“Harry,” she replied, a slight smile on her face.

It was enough for him to quicken his pace and wrap her up in his arms the moment he reached her. Having her in arms again felt like nothing had changed, like nothing had kept them apart. He knew that, even with the audience they were not going to avoid having watch them, nothing would stop him from telling her those three words.

“I need to tell you something,” he said as he pulled slightly away from Ginny. “When I went away… I forgot to say…” the words were not coming out the way he had hoped. He took a deep breath to settle his nerves and ploughed on. “All I have to say is that I love you.”

Ginny’s smile widened and that blazing look Harry loved so much appeared. “I love you, too, Harry.”

Harry grasped her face in his hands and gently pulled Ginny towards him, bringing his lips to hers. 

If there was one thing he had learnt in the last few years, love could come in many forms and yet, love would only ever have one meaning. And those eight letters, those three words and that one meaning meant everything when it came to Ginny.


End file.
